The New York Knicks may not have selected any prospects in the first round of the 2026 NBA Draft, but they did add Jack Kayil and Tyler Nickel in the second. Even though it took a game to get Kayil involved, the 39th and 47th overall picks both stood out in Summer League competition.
After impressing coaches and team brass alike, neither incoming rookie has signed any sort of NBA contract. Kayil is obliged to Mega Basket in Serbia — making him unable to sign a two-way contract for a year after any buyout. But Nickel was eligible for one all along. He was seemingly just waiting to find out what his real options were.
Friday's injunction clearing members of the Class of 2022 for a fifth year of collegiate eligibility completed the picture. Nickel is able to return to the NCAA, which wouldn't have been the case if he had signed an NBA deal. And with the Knicks having just one regular roster spot left to address their lack of center depth behind Karl-Anthony Towns and Andre Drummond, his most lucrative option might just involve hitting the books (again).
Nickel's 2027 options show players have more power than ever
Nickel has to feel pretty great about himself. The reigning NBA Champions decided he was worth adding in their search for sustainable championship contention, and he just got the option to go back to school in the era of NIL payments.
Ultimately, what he does with his 2026-27 season comes down to what he wants — so long as the Knicks make him a "Required Tender," which would extend his draft rights through next year. The deadline for that tender, for any second round pick, is the August 5 after the NBA Draft.
While Knicks head coach Mike Brown is certainly willing to be flexible, and empower young players with real responsibility, the team isn't exactly going out in 2027 to hunt for a spot in the Play-In Tournament. They have an NBA Championship to defend — their franchise's first in 53 years — and an eight-year trend of failed repeat bids to buck.
If minutes for Nickel seem like they'll really only come in Westchester, would anyone blame the soon-to-be-23-year-old for securing one last bag in college over a non-guaranteed two-way deal? He can continue to develop as a player, and leader, before embarking on his NBA journey next year.
Knicks already have a player developing in college, technically
If the Vanderbilt product does head back to playing at the collegiate level, the Knicks would still hold his draft rights. Nickel would effectively be putting himself in the same draft-and-stash situation as James Nnaji, who made headlines last season by joining the Baylor Bears despite having experience in two different NBA Summer Leagues.
Nnaji is headed to the Atlantic 10 Conference next season, set to join the George Mason Patriots for the 2027 campaign. Even then, until they renounce them (or let them expire), the Knicks still hold the draft rights to the center they acquired in the Towns trade with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
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